20 New Songs to Listen to This Week From Zemmoa to MIMA & Villano Antillano

06.13.25 at 00:17

This is our weekly compilation of bite-sized reviews of newly released songs by our talented music writers. Discover new favorites, read nuanced criticism of the week’s hottest releases, and much more. Who knows, you might walk out of this with a new fave or two. Some of the featured artists include Zemmoa, MIMA with Villano Antillano, and Cachirula with Loojan. Follow our playlist featuring these tracks and more on Spotify or Apple Music.

Zemmoa - “WOW!”

We all have moments of self-doubt, where we can briefly forget how fierce we are, and multi-talented and iconic artist Zemmoa brings just the cure for that with her newest single “WOW!” Over a delicious disco beat, a background filled with powerful strings classic to the genre, and modern electronic sounds, this is a joyful reminder that it is ok to doubt, but we have to bounce back, proudly rejoicing in our beauty and spreading our shine all around the room like a disco ball. With a successful career that is close to reaching the 20 year mark, and having toured all across the world, Mexican diva Zemmoa now brings her magical voice to the intimacy of your bedroom mirror or house party, prepare to dance while getting ready by yourself or with friends, look at your beautiful reflection, and with all the love you deserve, shout: WOW! – La Morra Lisa

MIMA x Villano Antillano - “Fuego”

MIMA has been a staple of Puerto Rico’s indie music scene for over two decades, becoming one of its most revered and respected figures, as a solo artist and as a collaborator of supergroup Int’l Dub Ambassadors. Here, they team up with superstar Villano Antillano for “Fuego,” a goosebump-inducing anthem that rails furiously against war and the cynical trivialization of lives lost as merely collateral. The rousing track samples folk legend Roy Brown’s lyrics for “Monón,” a protest song off his 1960 debut album. The Andrea Narváez-directed music video, with its use of harrowing archival footage along with MIMA and Villana’s performances, underlines the gravity of its message. — Juan J. Arroyo

Cachirula, Loojan - "Dedo"

As proven in last year’s SEXOLANDIA, Cachirula and Loojan have the knack for delivering reggaeton bangers. On their newest collaboration, “Dedo,” the two rising Mexican reggaeton artists do what they do best: create tantalizing yet risqué verses woven into a high-energy perreo earworm. With the song’s catchy “Ella le gusta que le de de dedo,” the duo uses explicit wordplay – and even more explicit video’s hand gestures – that will surely capture the listener’s attention. Produced by the long-time friends and collaborators alongside Luis Diaz, “Dedo” is a taste of their upcoming SEXOLANDIA II, just in time for late-night sweaty, summer perreos. – Jeanette Hernandez

Sofia Reyes, Luisa Sonza, Rainao - "MiuMiu"

In times like these, Latines should unite whenever possible, and Mexican singer-songwriter Sofía Reyes’ exciting collaboration with Brazilian pop star Luísa Sonza and Puerto Rican artist RaiNao is a welcomed one. “MiuMiu” is a catchy song with lyrics that focus on women’s prerogatives to enjoy life, love, and desire as much as anyone else. A powerful tune with even more powerful beats inspired by pop music and Brazilian funk, the track highlights each of the featured artists’ main skills and qualities, creating a song worth listening and, of course, dancing to. – Júlia Henn

Judeline - "chica de cristal"

Coming off the heels of her debut album, Spain’s newest star Judeline is expanding her explosive entry to the mainstream with another demonstration of illustrious songwriting over ethereal production. “chica de cristal” is a dreamy departure from noisy pop soundscapes, breaking descriptive barriers by embracing multiple influences for a breezy, moody experience. Judeline’s luscious melodies over a myriad of subtle sounds paint a picture of heartbreak, accented by a lonely bohemian landscape. While the themes and subtleties are cold, the singer warms up the mood by putting all her emotions on display. While Judeline’s dainty words provide an escape from an empty world, they capture the emotion perfectly through their mystifying instrumental. Led by a dream pop-esque guitar, subtle elements creep up in the background of the instrumentation for a naturally captivating, airy experience. – Alan Baez

Javiera Electra - “El tiempo y la distancia entregan mucho más de lo que yo podría”

Love is an alchemical element we’re not always ready to gift or receive; a volatile state at the heart of the latest single from Chilean singer-songwriter, Javiera Electra. The track, “El tiempo y la distancia entregan mucho más de lo que yo podría,” arrives in a flurry of folk, alt-rock, and flourishes of theatrical art-pop that have made Electra an intriguing rising star in the country’s ebullient indie scene. “No quiero delatar mi inmadurez,” she purrs over the bridge’s minimal piano chords, conceding her inexperience in the emotional labors of romance. But her solemnity breaks on the next line, wailing, “Pero ya es tarde para mí,” and stretching the final syllable over a rush of synthesizers and crashing drums loaded with equal parts tragedy and catharsis. – Richard Villegas

Nick León - “Millenium Freak (feat. Esty, mediopicky)”

By conjuring raw, high-octane club beats with a hellish sound design, noted producer Nick León created a scorching dancefloor smasher that’s a Caribbean nightmare we don’t want to escape. “Millenium Freak” is León’s final single before the release of A Tropical Entropy, his upcoming new album, and is a mind-bending cacophony of sinister bass, hard-hitting percussion, and screeching distorted sounds. Guests Esty and mediopicky bring the balance, barely peeking above the fog to dust some seduction to this wild mix. “Millenium Freak” has all the potential to become a DJ’s secret weapon. – Cheky

Grupo RYE - “Chill Guys”

Atlanta’s Grupo RYE is on a mission to make Regional Mexican music that’s less self-interested and less focused on superstar status or designer clothing. Instead, the five-piece makes anthems for the stoners who hit up their buddies for another all-nighter at the club before pouring all of their deepest feelings into a sugary, feel-good song. Their latest single reveals that under their nonchalant “chill guys” exterior lies a misunderstood, self-confessed hopeless romantic that knows when he’s struck gold and is ready to settle down (“Baby no soy wey básico/y clasico es mi corazón/Ya tienes más de un canción, y quiero darte mi mejor versión”). – Nayeli Portillo

Harmless – “The Bluff”

Sharing a second glimpse into his upcoming album By Them, By You, By Me (out this fall), indie artist Harmless returns with “The Bluff,” a wistful, slow-burning single with a dreamy twist. Inspired by a conversation between artist friends at different stages of perceived success, the song spirals into a disillusioned question: When does it ever feel like enough? What follows is an understated anthem built on hazy guitars, subdued percussion, and a mellow vocal performance that gains weight through its lyrical rumination on ambition, dissatisfaction, and the quiet grief of overlooking what’s already been gained. “The Bluff” becomes a stand-in for the curated emotional front artists often present to the public, masking private moments riddled with self-doubt behind the curtain. As a visual recentering, the Mexican-born, LA-based artist brings the single back to his roots, performing live with his band in a bustling Mexico City intersection. Filmed by award-winning director Alejandra Villalba García, the video captures movement, reflection, and the soft chaos of returning home, both literally and metaphorically, through life’s more ambivalent moments. – Jeanette Diaz

Tiraya - “Pa Que Los Veas Tú”

With his new single, Tiraya finds a balance between different emotions to conjure up an elite party banger. “Pa Que Los Veas Tú” is a highly percussive, uptempo track influenced by turn-of-the-millennium R&B and 2-step garage. Despite being a club-ready track, there’s plenty of experimental sounds, which he rides with his Caribbean flow, managing to add sadness among the track’s fast tempos and the wistful pianos. In turn, the Venezuelan-born, Madrid based, singer brings a pinch of nostalgia to the onslaught of minimalism and rhythm. With “Pa Que Los Veas Tú,” Tiraya might become a reference in modern electronic music. — Marcos Hassan

karennoid - “LA DiGiTONA”

Is the energy dropping on the dancefloor? LA DiGiTONA EP by karennoid is the solution. Straight from Chicago’s South Side, this Chicana bar-spitter will set your speakers and any setting on fire. With a mind-boggling array of sounds, clever lyrics, and references like “I’ll write him a haiku with my tongue” in the sexy “BEYAKEA” or the vampiric nods to Dracula in the chrome-sounding gothic atmosphere of “GATiLLO,” this is a dark, digital adventure you definitely want to upload yourself into. Proudly asserting her roots halfway through this virtual trip with “BB DE LATAM,” she claims she doesn’t want an American boyfriend because she does everything better in Spanish. Heartbeats rise nearing the end of the journey when the fastest track “MARiPOSA MSN” breaks through and where karennoid dares you to save her as a file in your memory, CD or mp3. Strongly closing the six-track adventure, “LA PELiCULA” is a thumping business card, where karennoid reminds us that she is “always humble, never simple,” and that she is the protagonist in this futuristic film that could surely earn her five stars on letterboxd. If there was an Academy Award for “Best Perreo Soundtrack,” LA DiGiTONA would clear that category with 10s across the board. – La Morra Lisa

Kany García, Lia Kali - “Huir”

Her third new single since the release of her 2024 album GARCÍA, “Huir” teams up Puerto Rican pop icon Kany García with Barcelonian rising star Lia Kali. Kany is a powerhouse all of her own, winning multiple Latin Grammys over her career and cementing herself as an influential voice in the industry. “Huir” is a soft ballad that tackles head-on avoidant attachments and their fallout. The duet pleads the case that those who are more reluctant to enter relationships aren’t doing so out of pettiness or emotional disconnect, but because of lingering emotional turbulence. They know it’s vexing, but with a little patience, hopefully, we see they have love to give too. — Juan J. Arroyo

Ximena Soto - “FANTAZIA / MI LOVE”

Ximena Soto is back with two sensual and captivating R&B offerings meshed together in an enticing music video directed by Luis Robledo. Her newest double single, “FANTAZIA / MI LOVE,” describes the burning desire to be with someone. In the video’s first half “FANTAZIA,” she sings about yearning — almost needing — to be with her person again. In the song, she plots her and her partner’s getaway to go somewhere private. With an R&B melody and sexy bass, Soto describes being loyal to her partner as she strips her clothes and makes her way to a car. The second half continues with “MI LOVE,” where she oozes sultriness, singing about getting intimate with her partner in said car. The beat slows down and complements her alluring dance movements, this time sonically featuring a bass and light percussion. The new visuals features rising Mexican reggaeton queer artist Chzter as Soto’s love interest. – Jeanette Hernandez

Rubby - “Petrichor”

Drawing on contemporary influences and modern takes on forward-thinking production, the latest from Washington Heights creative Rubby draws on early contemporary influences and is reminiscent of a simpler time. “Petrichor” is Rubby’s continued descent into unconventional production for the embodiment of party culture. Its punchy drums and ambient synthesizers create an eerie yet familiar experience. There’s an unspoken sense of nostalgia for early contemporary spacey, moody production, one reminiscent of mid-2010 era Soundcloud contemporary R&B. It sounds like the song you’d gush on about on your phone to your crush over a Twitter DM at too late of hours. “Petrichor” takes advantage of ambitious moments within the production through a multitude of different vocal effects, allowing himself to flow in a non-constricting space. The airy vocals over the increasingly industrial production breathe a certain shade of sincerity. There’s a slightly uncomfortable feeling present throughout the track, meant to symbolize the unsettling nature of a beloved relationship gone wrong. – Alan Baez

Ney Matogrosso - “Pássaro Branco”

Having recently been made the subject of the widely acclaimed biopic Homem com H (2025, directed by Esmir Filho), Ney Matogrosso comes out with a new project. The mere expectation of a new release by the Brazilian legend is enough to elicit goosebumps on the skin of those anxiously waiting for the new ways in which his heavenly voice may sound in their ears. The final product is, of course, even better than imagination. The EP Pássaro Branco is composed of four tracks from the ballet Entre a Pele e a Alma’s original soundtrack, but here, they are all adapted to fit Matogrosso’s style and, most importantly, his unparalleled voice. At the mature age of 83, the artist’s favorite instrument doesn’t seem to have changed at all since his humble musical beginnings back in the ‘70s, still coming out of his lips in waves of high-pitched magic that are ethereal enough to bewitch even the most critical listener. Just as the focus song on the EP describes the titular white bird as “descendant of angels” in its lyrics, so should Ney Matogrosso receive such praise for his incomparable voice and everlasting importance within Brazilian culture. – Júlia Henn

Eros White - “Na na na (Buscando)”

In recent years, Uruguay has emerged as an unexpectedly fertile hub of euphoric electropop, with the likes of Amigovio, Max Tejera, and Dani Umpi embracing synthesizers and campy, anthemic hooks. Vying for the gay pop throne – sorry, Jojo Siwa – is singer and producer Eros White, whose twinkling club bangers and popular remixes of Lali, Miranda, and Charli xcx seared his name into Montevideo’s nocturnal underground. Now, ahead of his new album, Estribillos Pop, White has unveiled “Na na na (Buscando),” a soaring lament melding influences from ’90s trance and maximalist EDM. The melodramatic thumper finds him in the midst of heartbreak, venting on the chorus, “Quiero saber si es verdad / que más allá nada está mal,” and praying that on the other side of sorrow awaits life after love. – Richard Villegas

AMANDONA! & Letrux - “Se eu soubesse como”

For her upcoming debut album, Belo Horizonte artist AMANDONA! found inspiration in the works of trailblazing Brazilian women, especially queer, and on her new single, she pays homage to lesbian singer Angela Ro Ro with some help from Letrux. Produced by Luiza Brina, “Se eu soubesse como” is a piano-driven cabaret moment that wraps around us like a mysteriously seductive perfume, with jazzy drumming and a deep bassline swirling in the stereo spectrum to create the right atmosphere. AMANDONA!’s singing and Letrux’s spoken word intertwine in a hypnotic dance that lures us into this sultry sapphic declaration that makes us blush with its passion and playfulness. – Cheky

Reddy Allor - “Coração Tem Lei”

You may remember Reddy Allor from her time as a contestant on Brazil’s drag queen reality show Queen Stars back in 2022. But before finding Internet and Drag Race-like fame, Allor first honed her skills as a performer beside her brother Gah Bernardes as part of a country music duo. Allor returns to her sertanejo roots with the fiery, pop-tinted “Coração Tem Lei” (made in collaboration with her hero Roberta Miranda) and tackles the topic of truly loving without any limits. – Nayeli Portillo

Night Ritualz - “Piensa En Mí”

Rising San Antonio-based darkwave artist Night Ritualz pays homage to his Mexican heritage by reimagining Grupo Mojado’s infamous heartbreak anthem “Piensa en Mí” by infusing it with a new kind of ache, one that swaps romantic desperation for haunted resignation. Stripping the regional softness of the original, he recasts the track through moody synths, pulsing basslines, and vocals dimmed and blurred by distance, transforming it into something less like a longing plea and more like a love-you-into-the-afterlife possession. Tuning into his signature fuck wave aesthetic, a ghostly weight settles into lyrics that once pleaded to be remembered — now delivered with the quiet devastation of someone who knows they are, just not in the way they’d hoped. Long after the damage is done, the memory lingers, but the love doesn’t. This version isn’t just nostalgia; it’s erosion, a memory looping like a curse. In Night Ritualz’s hands, this cover doesn’t ask for love; it asks what’s left of you when it’s gone. — Jeanette Diaz

Natalis - “Barrio”

Historically, salsa has been an explicitly political genre, and Natalis is here to remind us that it remains the perfect vessel for inflicting social change. “Barrio” keeps its musical feet firmly planted in tradition, but Natalis’s delivery and message are loud, strong, and up to date, addressing gentrification and the struggle it brings about when it comes to the neighborhood. With “Barrio,” Natalis reminds us that living joyfully and celebrating each day are powerful acts of protest. And in these times of unrest, it’s how resilience speaks loudest, and unity brings victory over any oppressor. — Marcos Hassan

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